Once Upon A Time (Movie)

Not to be confused with the drama, Once Upon A Time 三生三世十里桃花 has released movie posters starring Crystal Liu and Yang Yang where they look ravishingly ethereal as the star-crossed lovers clad in matching white robes. 

Crystal Liu takes the cake as the resident actress in ancient dramas due to her traditional yet exquisite features that is practically made for the genre.

While Yang Yang has not yet amassed an equally expansive resume, he along with co-star Crystal Liu certainly possess an otherworldly aura that befits their respective roles as immortals. 

The onscreen couple's stills together are eye-catching to say the least and the very literal symbolism using the peach blossom, dragon and fox offer a nice touch. Filming for the movie wrapped last March and the premiere is expected to be some time next year.

The source novel titled Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms aptly belongs under sadistic romance aka depressing beyond words and because I was that curious, I scoured the net for enough information to know that horrific things happen in the story.

On another note, I was recently made aware by an anonymous commenter that the writer Tangqi Gongzi is actually riddled with plagiarism claims that are too obvious to ignore (see comparisons made here). 

It's ridiculous how blatant the similarities are that it feels right to shed light on the controversy that might otherwise be overlooked due to the intense hype on the drama and movie adaptations of the same.

Source: Ent163, CNWNews

Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms

Stills are out on the upcoming drama Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花. There are two adaptations, a movie and a TV series, both based on the a novel by Tangqi Gongzi.

I caught a glimpse of Tangqi Gonzi's penchant for sadistic romance 虐戀 in City of Devastating Love and Three Lives Three Worlds appears to be no different, detailing a tragic love story that transcends through the afterlife. 

Yang Mi (Sword of Legends) and Mark Zhao lead the cast in the titular roles of fated lovers Bai Qian and Yue Hua. Dilraba Dilmurat and Gao Weiguang follow as Feng Jiu and Dong Hua from the sequel called Three Lives Three Worlds The Pillow Book.

As is the fate of popular novel adaptations, there was much speculation over casting and here is one of the hopefuls from 2014 pairing Wallace Huo and Tang Yan.

In spite of the contrarians who prefer the finalized movie casting of Crystal Liu and Yang Yang, the drama version could turn out to be just as good if not better since a TV series has the advantage of time, effectively gaining the freedom to do more in terms of character development. Even though I'm certain that endless comparisons will be made between the movie and drama right down to the kid actor, I'd rather give both an equal chance because they both look promising. 

Bai Qian is a spirit fox from Qing Qiu who possesses an ethereal beauty unmatched in all the realms. Yue Hua is the Crown Prince of the heavenly realm Jiu Chong. They meet, fall in love, get separated, then meet again.

You might already be familiar with Qing Qiu because it is a place often referred to in more than a few novels that take inspiration from ancient literature. Three Lives Three Worlds is no different as it is loosely based on the Classic of Rivers and Seas 山海经 depicting stories about deities and people that could only have existed in the form of legends.

For synopsis, cast and ratings, see 2016 Chinese historical dramas.

Source: Qianzhan, Life.Ce.CN, YSDXC

Crystal Liu and Yang Mi face off in Three Lives Three Worlds

Based on a novel by Tang Qi Gong Zi 唐七公子 (writer of Hua Xu Yin), Three Lives Three Worlds Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花 tells the tale of a romance spanning three lifetimes and Crystal Liu and Yang Mi will star as the lead in a movie and drama adaptation, respectively.

Undisputedly two of the most beautiful actresses in Chinese entertainment, Crystal Liu (born 1987) and Yang Mi (born 1986) are often typecast into the same roles especially if said role requires someone who looks like an ethereal goddess.

Is it any wonder that they have been acting in similar characters as early as 2005? Crystal Liu Yi Fei got her big break playing Ling Er in Chinese Paladin 1 and four years down the road, Yang Mi clinches the role of Xue Jian in Chinese Paladin 3, also opposite Hu Ge.

Yet the similarities don't end there. Back in 2004, Yang Mi portrayed the titular role of Xiao Qian in the drama version of A Chinese Ghost Story while Crystal Liu Yi Fei headlined the 2011 movie version of the same. 

They're not always pitted against each other though as I distinctly remember seeing them together in one of my favorite wuxia series titled The Return of the Condor Heroes with Crystal Liu as Little Dragon Lady (Xiao Long Nu) and Yang Mi as little Guo Xiang.